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Those too large to be ennirely inrtuded in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many framea aa required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Lea cartea, planchea, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmte A dee taux da rMuction dIffAranta. Lorsque le document eat trop grand pour Atra raproduit an un seul clichA, 11 eat fllmi A partir da Tangle supArleur gauche, de gauche A droKe. et de haut en bas. en prenant la nombre d'imagea nAceaaalre. Lea diagrammaa auivanta illuatrant la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 f I' ^Ui ''y^. ; ■f ■ ^OVA SC0Ti4 PROVINCE HOUSE ■:^jm?JsamE!sss!'^m ^a^"' M- I--* ,1.^ ..W'J, ^*»r' Epaltftr ©tiiectie oC the eiivintian JHfi&tr ■..?Jfcr;;, .- -^w. ' irf--^ . f -^ .it. *il T H E EXALTED OBJECTS OF THE CHRISTIAN MIMSTRV A SERMON PKEACHED UEFOUE THE CONFERENCE IN KINCSTON, ['. C. is:38, AND AT THE DEDICATION OF THE WE.SLEYAN CENTENARY CHAPEl. IN ST JOHNS. N.B, 1839. BY MATTHEW RICHEY, A. M. WTHOIt OK THK -LIFE OF THE RtVKKEND WILLIAM B.'.ACK. M TORONTO: lo.VKtKl.NCK OKFICE, J. H. LAWKE.NCE, PKLNTEH No y, U'cllinffton BuildiiiRf, Kin; Strent 1840. WM ■x^^ J WJ^-A^ SERMON. /I Preached before the Conference in Kingston, U. C. mS, and at the Dedi- cat, on of the Heslei/an tmtenary Chapel in Si. Johns, A". B. 1839. if) Ephesians iii. 8-10. 8. 'Efioi, Toj 'sXax>(froTS^(^ *avTwv [twv] 'ayiuv 'edoOr, '», irXoUTOV TOU X^lffTOU, ^ 9. Koti .g.ble to the humblest capacity: and while "The v i and the prudent," seduced by the vanity of intellect ^yTr''" y"' ^™" "'^efo„iisb„r„ preaeh „g, „ becon.es, through the energy of the Holv Sp,r,t,.he power of G.^ unto salvation to^'every one ,hl^ THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 7 Let mo not be inisutKleMtood. Fnr \)C it from me by thia style of remark lo conce.lo that tlio Hible i^ in tbe sense in wbicb the Hceptic wonld employ the term, a simple book. Its value as a treasury of various instruction is inappreciable. It has (lone more than all the other books in the universe to •listcnd the basis ami enlar|re the volume of the pyramid of human knowlcilge, while it lifts its summit amid the splendours of the eternal throne. Apart from the supreme object of the Scriptures, their salutary inlluence upon literature and laws, upon liberty both civil and religious, upon moral science and public sentiment, will \)C questioned by none whose acquaintance with the light which history reflects upon these topics qualifies him to form an accurate judgment. But the crowning excellence of the sacred volume is, that it reveals "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." It unfolds with progressive clearness that redeeming scheme which occupied the thoughts of God from everlasting— in anticipation of which Eternal Wisdom "rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delight was with the sons of men" before the world Avas. Of this glorious scheme, it is a cheering fact, that "the wayfaring man though a fool" may attain a knowledge sutlicient for the purposes of salvation. But we shall fall into a most egregious error if we thence infer, that how divinely soever it is adapted to rescue man from the guilt and the pollutions in which the apostacy has involved him, and to conduct him to the enjoyment of unending bliss, it leaves ungratified and unheeded his aspirations after knowledge ; that while it is confessedly an efficient, and indeed the only restorative of his moral nature, there is nothing connected with it fitted to invigorate, expand, and enrich his intellectual powers. How very difl'erent was the estimate formed of it by the enlightened apostle of the Gentiles ! The treasures of Grecian literature with which his mind was early stored, '■m? ''rclMMCMII THE £XALTED OBJECTS OF aid which are to the ■"»"ki"ade cotnfort^abte This, however, ;yiJI pypW^ hered that superior „rdeTn„"t!,r''''*\"*^" '' » '^"■™- and still are, occupied 1;*'*' '"= ''''^" """"ges, - ject: "UntomeXlcl'S'lfr "' "" -- 'f ""^ated ^ principalities and potve'r. j„ t '"'?' """ "'»'' ""'<' t«">vn by the church ,L manifold "T" '"r"" "''«'" ^ "Janiioid wjsdom of God." This most elevatPfl r.o„ -he o3>..--a7L7jj^^^'^!"f -^-bits the M^. MiNisTRT. P'^P"'^ ^/'^^^^ Of the Christian ^> i^?S5l«-'P«W?«s.^ THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 9 v3' -^■ 1. Let us attend to the theme of the Christian Ministry: it is the unsearchable riches of Christ. Of all the epistles of St. Paul this to the Ephesians is generally considered by Commentators the loftiest. There is probably no one that reads it, and institutes a comparison between it and the others, who does not receive the same impression. It is characterised, in a very eminent degree, by a holy exaltation of feeling, which, in a mmd like Paul's, is always associated with a correspondent elevation and enlargement of the intellectual faculty. It stands among the Epistolary writings like the narrative of John among the Gospels— imbued with a more than usual measure of the spirit of Him who was "anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows." This is accounted for by the occasion and object of its composition. Written under the joyous excitation pro- duced by the intelligence he had received of the faith and love of those of whom he was in a special manner the apostle, its design is not so much to defend as to display "the glorious gospel of the blessed God." Hence the holy affections of his soul flow forth with unwonted spon- taneity and copiousness. Hence he expatiates in an element perfectly congenial with the spirituality and amplitude of his mind. Hence his thoughts are sentiments ; and the interior of that heart is disclosed which dictated the noble avowals — " The love of Christ constraineth me."—" Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." That gospel he emphatically designates in the text "the unsearchable riches of Christ." This phraseology is among the most marked peculiarities of the apostle's style. It is obviously to be taken in the same sense as the parallel expressions— " the riches of his grace"— "the exceeding riches of his grace," which occur in the previous chapters. ^1 m \-'' 10 THE EXALTED OBJECTS OP "ion, pnr,ic„l,„ly ivIh-,, ,',. Z ""l*™"™ or pr<,f„. "■e Dei,-, ,. L i:::;-,; :f ,;r;:°^"r— f Chris.."' "'•'' "'" "'"iOarcLable ricAes of '- ''- vain and impfora telt oT. ^''''" ^"^ ^- present luui.iliaied and uTctchP.l . , " ^"*''''' ^'^ he enjoyed ul.on recent^ 1"'"''^" "''^'^ ^^e bliss l^eneficent Creator. Ado^ d . ^ D'^' '" '^'^^ ^"'^ admitted to the most intin.ate nl '^'.^'"'"^ '"^age, and tf'o perspective of feliC, ! ,?'""""'«" "''^'^ '"'^ God, -« without a .shado;;:nV ht":?^f ',^^- ^- '« "alienated from the life o r" iV " ' ^"* "°^^ ^^ that is in hioi." AW he is /n T '^' '"^""'^"^^ of eternal justice. Novv h n n"''"'^'' '"'^"' ^' ^'^^ ^ar hy the ^^ Ji«do. fro: heneatrvrr "^ '"^^^^^^'^ sensual, and devilish " ZTr u '' ''''^^y' «"d forfeited; and he is mf/^oufGof- '"^''^^^^ ^" high is ■shall he flee? To wC In f ' , ' ^""'■''^' ^'''^her f 'i vve go? THoVlr t rt ^,f I "Lord, to whom the gospel of salvation thou ^,'1 f ?'' '''•" ^" thy compassions ! thou ha"t 1 , ^ T . '''" ^^"^'^'^"^ °^ redeeming grace' We 1 r ^ •''' ^''^ '^"^^^^ ^'^ thy -d lost : ^u't thou a,7ma e o r ' "' ^""^> ' ^"^ P«""ted! wisdom and righteou nes s. rr^ ""^" '''''" '^'' ^^"eve Contemplate th:: : ^^r Td" ""' ^^'^'"^^'°"- no parsimony. It is as p * ^^^^'^™"g grace knows Would that I^ould ol;;; ™; ^^ '-^ '« --.ted. - -^ ^"^ect, the love or"^i:^rCt;::^rv:;:^: >WiPi iV» ?,si5ai|wi-'^.:,.,?3 t ^mi^mm THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. with the tongue of men aaJ of angels this were impossihle ; for it " passeth knowledge." Go to him, ye sons of ignorance ; and he will "/// you with the knowledge of liis will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." Go to him, ye sons of guilt ; for " ho will abundantly pardon" you. Go to him ye slaves of sin ; and you shall find ^^ plenteous redemption." Let those who feel their miserj', of every class, repair to him ; and they will be bless-ed with "the peace of God which passeth all understanding^'' — with ^^ joy unspeakable and full of glory. ''^ Is this the word of truth? Are the promises of Him wlio cannot lie, thus "superlatively great and precious?" Is such the plenitude of the provisions of grace? — of the riches of Christ? Who then can repress the hurst of praise, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." The superabounding grace which thus " reigns through righteousness, unto eternal life" in the experience of those who receive it not in vain, is designed for all, — solicits the reception of all at the hands of a beseeching God, and bleeding Saviour. And in entreating sinners to be recon- ciled to God, the apostles of the Lamb entertained no mental reservation ; they knew nothing of that ostensible distinction (without any real difference) of a vain philosophy, between natv.ral and moral ability, by which it lias been attempted in modern times to bring together the poles of free grace and limited salvabiiity — of unfettered liberty and inflexible 7ieccssity. They " warned every man, and taught every man, in all wisdom, that they might present EVERY MAN PERFECT in Christ Jesus." Consider their inestimable value. The devious and endless speculations of philosophy concerning the supreme felicity of man are precluded, — the sigti of conscious misery, which the utmost profusion of earthly blessings has never ■Mffpap v^ 12 THE EXALTED OBJECTS OP lyeen found adequate to suppress, "Who will show us any good?" IS dissipated forever by the authority and the charm of that voice which declares in the gospel, « I will give you rest." Here are true riches. Here is happiness suited to the nature, comtuensurate with the faculties, and imperish- able as the being of the immortal soul. The whole material universe is represented as valueless in comparison with the worth of one soul by him who made them both. Yet without an interest in Christ the soul must be lost ; it must pine in spiritual indigence, a disinherited exile from tlie presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power forever. Oh ! how unutterably precious then its redemp- tion. How transcendent and incr nceivable the value of the blessings which secure and constitute that redemption ! To what shall we resemble the kingdom of heaven ? It is " like treasure hid in a field ; which, when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." What cause have the poor to whom sucii a gospel is preached, to survey the portion of the earthling with an eye of envy or a heart of covetousness? Does his wealth procure him honour? With the riches of Christ are connected the faith by which " the elders obtained a good report"— the righteous- ness whicii truly makes a man « more excellent than his neighbour"—" the honour that cometh from God." Does it contribute to his protection ? The eternal God is the refuge of those who are '-rich in faith," and "underneath are his everlasting arms." Does it invest him with power ? The moral triumphs of those who are enriched by the grace of life throw into shade all the conquests of an Alexander or a Cffisar ; they overcome the principalities and powers of darkness— they rule their own spirit— they have "power with God," and with holy violence take the kingdom of heaven. Are earthly possessions desired because they command so many sources of enjoyment ? Infinitely more -i^^^: ■■->^ '-i i^ '■-•» •!*♦ -ili'OA THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 13 enviable are the pleasures that How from peace with God — from tlie coiitemplutioii of divine truth — from the enrap* luring anticipation of a LhsHful immortality, than fronn all that can be derived from the gratification of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Happy- then — supremely happy is the mati who findeth the riches of Christ. " For their merchandize is better than the merchandize of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." His is ''the pearl of great price;" his "a treasure in the heavens that faileth not." The intimate and vital relation these blessings sustain to Chuist is a cardinal point in the Christian system. They are His riches. And if the contemplation of their variety, abundance, and intrinsic excellence is so adapted to impress us with their inestimable value, how must our appreciation of them be enhanced, w hen they are viewed as emanations from liim, of u hose fulness, as the mediator of the New Covenant, " we have all received, and grace for grace." To apprehend aright the nature and extent of our obligations to him for "the grace that bringeth salvation," the following considerations uiust enter essentially into our views of redemption. Tlie original of all saving truth is in the person and office of Jesus Christ. In him is resident the fulness of the Godhead ^ and he alone is "the (a^avyaaixa) effulgence of the Father's glorv, and the express image of his person." If, therefore, " the glory of God" has irradiated our hearts, it has been reflected from "the flice of Jesus Christ." If the eyes of our understanding have been enlightened, to "know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints;" it is because we have received "the spirit of wisdom and revelation :n the knowledge of him." Take away Christ ; and an immediate, total, and fearfully-ominous eclipse extinguishes the glory that dwells between the cherubim. miKsm m*'^^Wf(^rN^ m m^- .\f% 14 THE F.XALTED OBJECTS OF The riclies of grace have been procured hy the sacrificial merit of his death. We are redeemed, not with corruptible things, as silver or gold : but with the precious blood of Christ. Many theories of salvation have been propounded ; many figments of their own invention substituted for the foundation which God himself has laid in Zion, by those who have an invincible objection to being bought with a price. But those who will not accept of "redemption through the blood" of Christ, must take the alternative. In his atonement we see the price, and in that price the value of his riches, as well as the highest reason for their being called his. And still another is, that spiritual uuion with Christ is inseparable from an interest in those riches. To none but those who receive Hlm is the privilege imparted of becoming the sons of God. Just in proportion as " we know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of Ms suffering?," are we in possession of celestial treasure. Henrs believers are said to be made partakers of Christ. Hence "all the fulness of God" is represented by the apostle as comprised in his dwelling in the heart by faith. Such, my brethren, is the theme of the Christian Min- istry,— a theme whose resources even eternity will not exhaust, but the interest of which will on the contrary increase with the progression of the knowledge and the existence of the redeemed, forever. It opens mines of celestial wealth which Paul, who had been rapt into the third heavens, and on whose expansive intellect the reveal- ing Spirit shone in full illumination, after endeavouring in vain to to explore, pronounces av=|i;^via(j'Tov unsearchable. The etymological import of the term is — ichose footsteps it is impossible to trace. And unless you can by searching find out God, unless you can find out the Almighty to perfection, you cannot comprehend the wisdom, the power, the grace, the glory, involved in the riches of Christ, THE niRISTIAN MINISTRY, 15 There is a certain class of religionists who seem sensitively afraid lest men should think too iiighly ef Jests Christ; and when they discover in any part of Scripture a passage, or even a phrase, which, by an artful perversion of its true design, enables them the more speciously to dilute and reduce the meaning of such expressions as this in the text, they rejoice as one that findeth great spoil. Such persons may talk with an eloquence as bland as that of Ulysses in ^omer — of the union of moral beauty and grandeur in the character of Jesus — of his example at once so pure and 80 persuasive — of the relations so tender and so important which he sustains to the world ; but while they deny his essential Deity, he i& insulted rather than honoured by their most splendid compliments: by such expedients they may impose upon " ckihlren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine," but they are not very likely to succeed in deceiving the eleci. The true reason why the riches of Christ are, and will ever remain inconceiv- able in all their amplitude by finite un jerstandings. is, that they are the riches of The Infinite. Who can compre- hend the glory of the redeeming acts which the Great Head of the Ciiurch has already performed ! And yet we " which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption — the redemption of the body." Though heirs of God we have not yet come to years of majority. Oh ! the untold — the unimagined glories within the veil ! There we shall behold the throne of God and the Lamb, and drink of the vital river which, clear as crystal, issues thence ! There the petition of Moses, — the supreme desire of every believing soul, " I beseech thee shew me thy glory !" will be answered by Divine manifestations which mortal humanity could not for a moment have sustained — manifestations which will increase in richness, in refulgence, and in assimilating efficacy, through the ages of immortality ! i. - ■ m m ».'l i-i,-^ m ym L=-L^^ ^«*^.-^ric^^,tp>tf^- Zi^i^iMJSMMimii^iM'^ 16 THE EXALTED ODJECTS or 1 n. Having tin.s oxlnbitod tlu> .hcne, I novv prorocci to •llus rate the ol^jects of tho C/uMn Ministry They are thus .Jescrihcd l.y ,he npostio: ^-fo mnke .11 men see what is the fellov.ship of ,he mvsterv IrTc the beginning of the world Lth t^^'^c^l T created all things by Jesus Christ: to ,he n enU 't unto the principalities and powers in helen e^s .igT Object of the evangehc ministry is the spiritual illumination of mankind ; . its ulterior bearings it embraces « h pri„. orders of God's holy intellectual creation. The immediate aspect of the Gospel revelation is of ir r u" ^"^ ^"'^^ '""^^^^^1 ^^i^h his redeeming offic^-for whom he left the bosom of ,he Fotherand expired m atoning agony upon the cross-for whom he i^ i^r:: 't:r -t-^^^' ever nv::i'rm\\: ntercession. To turn mm from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, was therefore the primary oh c" ours. And this momentous object is only to be accom- pLshed by enlightening them to perceive the fellowshinTf The sense to be attached to the term, mystery, in this place .s sufficiently apparent from the expLtiv^ Cau^ w^ch immediately follows it. It simply im'ports some h „! ?r th/ ""f'^'^^^^- The apostle refers, as is obviouf from the context, to the Divine purpose relative to the ad- rn.ss.on of the Gentiles to an equal particpation of spiritual and he calls that purpose a mystery, becau^, depending a» It did upon the sovereign pleasure of the Deity it waf T rilF, CJIiniSTIAN MlNMSmV. 17 I imporvimis to tlu^ rosoarcli of Imninii n^n-cn, and liad hitherto remained '^hailed in ohsciirity. Picviniisly to \U being; hrought to lii^ht hy the i^'osptl, it was mn in (lod. But, it may be asked — Was tliis import;irit part of the redeeming plan concealed ; was the voice of inspiration entirely silent as to the purpose of (ioD to call the Gentiles into his church, until the period arriveil for its practical manifesta- tion I Is it not plainly involved in the magnificent promise made to Abraham, that in his seed nil ihe nnlions of the earth should be blessed? Did not the evangelical prophet with characteristic clearness declare, " It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved Israel : I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the end of the earth?" And was it not a prominent object of the apostle in rea'soning with the christians of Rome, to evince that the accession of the Gentiles to the fold of the Redeemer was perfectly in accordance with the anticipations of prophecy? All this is readily admitted. Yc'i — if the light emitted by the prophetic oracle on this subject shone in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not ; if " they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, (^s^s, f THE CHRISTIAN MlmsTBT. || for their wk]„m, „ere not ashamed to lake a le-on „„ redemption fr„„, „i, ,ip., they undervalued oth rim bee.,.*,, ,„,.ea,l „, be,„g ,hem«.|v« en.ru.ted «^Z iragile . To the mtent that now unto the principalM« church the manifold .vi»dom of (Jod " R„ .u-.. 7 ' .heidio.„f the N-ewTestamentld^litaofJu ' dtSi"" no other cla» „f being, than thoae to whom 7oW^ ! •|.phea,-all the different rank, of .pi,it„a, ex It^Z*.^ oecnpy u,e heaven,, ma„„on,. NorL thl thr t^^-^ of Scripture in which thev are portrave.l m .,. . 'I'""™ P.atin«with the .ive.ie. e.orT/l^J^^^^^^ human salvat.on. When God wa. manifest in the Lh w. h feehng« of admiration which beings who had vvi ne^' and celebrated his pre-existent glory alone could ex^rien^ ng o the d.l.gence with which the ancient prophets app,^ he.r m.nds to obtain a clear perception of \he blessing ^ the evangehc covenant, and to ascertain with precisiorthe t.me of .ts introduction, withdraws the veil from the dJi.! " Whi'ch'th- "''''" t ""'^^'^^-^^ - -ilan/entlL" Wh.ch thmgs" says he, « the angels desire tollooklnr'» tAtng, the angeL vehemently desire to bend; a most ex- pressive mode of denoting their intens. solicitude mi"u^fy to examme, to pry into, the mysteries of redeeming grace! Th.e graph.c dehneation of the interesting fact was douWem, sugg^ted by ,ts association in the mind of the sacred wri^ with the emblematical scene in the temple which embodied he same lesson. In the holy of holies, that type of "the true sanctuary which the Lord hath pitched and not man « there were to be seen the cherubim of glory overshadowing the .^^.seat. The mercy-seat, enclosing the book of the law and sprinkled with sacrificial blood, adumbrated the o THE EXALTED OBJECTS OF true propitiatory which under a higher and more spiritual economy "God hath set forth to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are parti :" and the resplendent cherubim bending over it in a posture of absorbed contem- plation, could not fail to elevate the mind of the devout Jew from the type to the reality ; it would teach him tha* the scheme of atoning mediation by which he had access unto God challenges the investigation and delighted attention of the whole celestial throng. On what principle, it is natural to enquire, does the work of redemption exert so commanding an influence over minds of the highest order 1 Whence arises the entrancing interest with which they survey the sufferings of Christ and the glory that follows 1 Let the question be reverently proposed; let it emanate, not from a vain and carnal curiosity, but from a hallowed desire to acquire more fully the "riches of spiritual undei-standing;" and the divine ORACLE inrtead of rebuking will encourage; instead oC silencing will gratify the inquiry. By it Wi. are taught that from the beginning there has subsisted the most intimate official relation between angels in heaven and the church on earth ; for, " are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation 1" that when God ushered his ' first begotten' into the worid, all the angels were commanded to worship him ; that Christ is constituted head over all things for the benefit of his church, and exercises his supremacy over thrones, do7.tinions, prin- cipalities and powers in reference to her government and interests j and that the grand and ultimate object of redemp- tion is the association under him, as their common head, of angels and men, whom sin had so long dissevered, in one rejoicing family forever. But the fact announced in the text, — that the most illustrious orders of the celestial hierarchy are indebted to the evolution of the plan of redeeming mercy for their '.■! I f r:*t' rfe!l»yj i!" .V *.l'v rp-Hfci'i fm r ( 1 THE CHRlSTfAN MINISTRV. fg^ profoundest views of the glory of God, would alone ade- upon ,t Here especially it is that they see displayed, ', te«.rf.;„ of God. Amid ranges of contemplation that lie hT:::c!rNTf '" ^^'^^ °''"'"^" ^-"' ^-vhid nltr! "; '" "'"" '"''■^^' ^^«y «^« f«'ni«i3r with U^ustrafons m endless diversity and astonishing magnifi- cence, of the divine perfections: but even the brigE of those .llustratons fades before the surpassing gtrof ^dempfon; the wisdom that shines in them all isTotIo .mmense so multiform, so instructive, as that which s exempl.fied m the formation and gradual developImVnt of tire med.atonaI scheme. But why is the wisdom of Got part,c«larly named as the oI,ject of the highest adm rai^on of he pnncpalities and powers in heavenlv placesT Wh; not h,S tOVE ? his POWER ? his JUSTICE 1 ' pLin. 'k ^ Wo. is that property of the dL^ Bein' ^ y ^ ^a^ h. ope^fons are directed ; in accordance with L d iette of which all the manifestations of his glo^r, whethert creation provuience, or redemption, are ex\i^ erof . ^ and hey were equally persuaded that his benevolence\l Stand. But they knew, also, that those attributes could not be displayed in our redemption until infinite wisdom had previously solved the great moral problem, "HoTlu man be just with God f And with whatev r raptu^ e" jstened to the first annunciation of the expediently w eh ^ was to be accomplished. . is obvious\hat they'did ot dearly a hand the redeeming counsels of the TRit;;« God, untd the obscurities of previous and pn^par^tory dis! pensations were dispdied by the effulgence of the gTshI In he quaint but striking language of an dd divine, «S doctnne of the Gospel he kept dose and hid in his own rn "n^^ 9» THE EXALTED OBJECTS OF j^"; -v-'^ C ^•i^--^-^ ^.K-v^ - - . ■'>^,'.- J-^ ^^--?. ^i? - . , - ^'"^.S Vtr.jH y.'-^^M ^,.a Ineast ; not a creature knew it ; no, not the angels who were his nearest courtiers and dearest favourites ; it Izy hid in God even from them. A mystery which, when it should be revealed, should amaze the world, put angels to school again, as if they had known nothing in comparisoa of this, wherein they should know over again all those glorious riches which are in God, and that more perfectly and fully than ev i yet. And so after they had a little studied the catechism and compendium, then should come out a large volume, a new system of the riches of the glory of God, the mystery of Christ, which is the last edition also, now enlarged, perfected, wherein the large inventory of God's glorious perfections is more fully set down with additions." We shall better appreciate the practical moment of redemption to the angelic orders, if we remember that whatever increases their knowledge of the character of God, increases in the same proportion their ineffable com- placency in that character, and by consequence their holiness and happiness. All their mental acquisitions are tributary to their moral excellence and felicity. Knowledge, the knowledge of Him who is the fountain and archetype of truth, is the object of their pauseless pursuit, with a view not merely to gratify the desire of knowing inseparable from an intellectual nature, but that it may increase their conformity to him, and render them susceptible of still richer conr;munications from him, in limitless progression. To these holy purposes every fresh accession to their pre- vious resources is appropriated as soon as acquired. Who, if those things are so, can calculate the amount of benefit they thus derive, and shall eternally derive from the con- templation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ ; from the unwearied prosecution of their researches into the diversified, fathomless wisdom of GoD as exemplified in bis dealings towards his church ! On " the principalitiea 1 f THE CHRISTIAN Mil jTRT. 85 / \ f and powers in heavenly places^ then, as well as upon the destinies of the human race, the theme of the Christian Ministry has a most momentous bearing; to them, as well as to the redeemed, the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be an object of rapture forever; and, mingling with the song of those who have washed their robes and made them white m his blood, and vieing with its loudest melody, will there be heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the lamb that ^vas slain to receive power, and riches, and honour, and glory, and blessing !" III. The third topic that demands our attention is the spirit which characterised the apostle, and which should charactense all who sustain Uie sacred office: Unto me ivAo am less than the least of all saints, is this grac'e given, ® On this part of the subject, however, our remarks will be bnef. Whoever forms a just estimate of « the work of an evangelist," must at once percive the indispensable neces- sity of personal religion_of an experimental knowledge of CxOD our Saviour, to him who would uischarge with fidelity or even nghtly appreciate, its momentous responsibilities! When the distinguishing grace of God selected St. Paul to bear his name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel," he qualified him to negotiate the embassy by revealing his Son in Him. Without this spin «al manifestation from on high, the most powerful intellect cannot pierce the haze which, to an unrenewed mind, surrounds the mystery of Christ; and the highest endowments of eloquence are but as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. There is a potency, or rather an omnipo.ency m this interior manifestation of the Son of God which transforms whom it touches ; it is that unction from the Holy One without which no man can himadf I W THE EXALTED OBJECTS OF Understand, much less teach others, ihe deep things of God, Thence spring faith, meekness, purity, fortitude, glowing love and burning zeal, with the most effectual guard, sup- port and ornament of all the associate graces of the Spirit HUMILITY. What a hallowed and adorning lustre did this quality shed over all the other noble attributes of Paul's character ! On one occasion we hear him say, « I am the least of the Apostles, who am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." But when in the contemplation of the unsearchable riches of Christ, his soul kindles into rapture, even that humiliating form of expression does not satisfy. He looks round for one still more emphatic; and finding none adequate to convey the self-annihilating sense of unworthiness which, in view of the dignity of his mission, prostrates him in the very dust, he coins one for his purpose. The superlative degree of comparison s\nk% '\n\o ihe positive ; and forming a comparative upon it, he exclaims, e/Aoi to £Xa;^itfroTefu, " Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given." We are here reminded of what is related of one who imbibed a large measure of the spirit of the apostle — the celebrated Jlustin of Hippo. Being on one occasion asked what was the first part of religion, he answered, humility; when asked what was the second^ he again said, humility ; and what the thirds his unvary- ing reply was, humility, alluding to the memorable answer of Demosthenes to the question, What is eloquence ? Pride, unseemly in any one who names the name of Christ, is peculiarly inconsistent and detestable in him whose business it is to teach the doctrines, and enforce an imitation of the example of that Saviour who was meek and lowly in heart. From the illustration of this subject we derive two inferences : 1. It evinces the indefinite improvenbiliiy of mind. Improveability, I mean, not in intellectual power and ■% RliJ '^:P^t THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. f7 / resources merely, but in every attribute and acquisition that can enrich, and adorn, and beatify an immortal spirit. Who shall assign limits, in any of these respects, to ita sublime career? Who imagine the dimensions, beyond which It will be incapable of further expansion— when Its research will have exhausted the wonders of creation, providence, and redemption— when its compass will sweep the circumference of the Divinity] Subjects these, on which angels have, from time immemorial, been exercising their mighty faculties ; but have they yet touched, or even in the distance descried the goal? Have Mey discovered soundings in the depth of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God? No: with undiminished, with increasing aston- ishment, they cry one to another, "How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out !" And is this the destiny, too, of the believer in Christ? Inspiring thought ! Infinity will be the range, and eternity the period of our progress in knowledge, in holiness, and in happiness. If a perpetuity of bliss is bliss, what shall be said of its perpetual augmentation ! Never will the enraptured words of John be inapplicable to our circumstances. It doth not yet appear what we shall be ! 2. It attaches the highest conceivable dignity and im- portance to the Ministerial office. Well may it be represented as a matter of admiration that a treasure, than which there lies not one undiscovered in the fields of heaven more valuable, should be deposited in earthen vessels,- -that an office which would have been considered promotion by an archangel, should be conferred upon a sinful child of the dust ! Contemplate this office in whatever aspect you may, Its transcendant dignity and importance are conspicuous. It IS the only one on earth, to which men are called by the inward voice of the Holy Ghost ; and which has a direct and immediate bearing upon eternity. It is therefore as much superior to all others as the interests of the soul are t t i ^— 'iitr^f^r 38 OBJECTS OP tHE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. to those 01 the body — heaven to earth — or immortality to a moment. Whenever I pass the threshold of the sanctuary, I feel that I stand on sacred ground j there ♦* awful voices" a: heard, and *' holy inpirations" breathe ; before me stands a man of like passions with myself, — but though no halo of celestial radiance encircle his brow, nor demonstra- tions of omnipotence attest his mission, not the less do I recognize in him a minister from no earthly court — a com- missioned ambassador of Christ ! " There stands The legate of the skies ! His theme divine, His office sacred, his credentials clear. By him the violated law speaks out Its thunders ; and by hitn, in strains as sweet As angels use, the Gospel whispers peace." Oh, what must be the moral grandeur of his theme ; what the importance of the destiny that hangs on the reception of his message, since the one challenges and rewards the profoundest investigation, while the other wakes the deeped sympathiea of " the principalities and powers in heavenly places !" Men and brethren! I have but a single question to propose in conclusion ; and if, while the unsearchable riches of Christ have been displayed, you have not listened with the ear of the sceptical or the careless, I unsolicitously commit its solution and its practical operation to your own hearts and consciences — How shall we escape ip wb NEGLECT so GREAT SALVATION? /I THE END. l'.1lilMjl|iMt, J.IMIJIJ